The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken what USAToday calls an “unusual move” by sending a letter to the governor of Oregon warning that if the state’s voters pass a ballot measure requiring that products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be labeled as such, it would “impermissibly interfere with manufacturers’ ability to market their products on a nationwide basis.”
Oregon voters will go the polls on November 5. If they pass the measure, the state will become the first in the union to require such labeling. The Bush Administration has said that such labels would scare consumers, and therefore should not be mandated.
The letter from the FDA says that the agency is not promising that will take action against the state, but rather just informing officials about its views. The FDA has said that there is “no significant difference” between products that contain GMOs and those that don’t.
Food manufacturers believe that if the measure pass in Oregon, it will both arouse unnecessary concerns on the part of consumers as well as lead to other states passing similar measures.
Oregon voters will go the polls on November 5. If they pass the measure, the state will become the first in the union to require such labeling. The Bush Administration has said that such labels would scare consumers, and therefore should not be mandated.
The letter from the FDA says that the agency is not promising that will take action against the state, but rather just informing officials about its views. The FDA has said that there is “no significant difference” between products that contain GMOs and those that don’t.
Food manufacturers believe that if the measure pass in Oregon, it will both arouse unnecessary concerns on the part of consumers as well as lead to other states passing similar measures.
- KC's View:
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We believe that mandatory GMO labeling is inevitable, and that manufacturers ultimately will regret the time, energy, and money they spend on trying to defeat it.
If consumers want it, resistance on the part of manufacturers is futile. It just creates the appearance that they have something to hide, and that there is something in the truth that would scare consumers.
